Out of all the Straw Hat Pirates crew members in One Piece, Usopp is known as the comical relief and by far its most cowardly member. Now, while Usopp’s cowardice might not be a reflection of his true powers, we certainly did not see much of the latter because of the former. That is why we have ventured on a journey to discover how strong Usopp is, as we think that it is quite important. In the rest of this article, we are going to tell you whether Usopp gets stronger over the course of the series.
Eiichiro Oda stated that no matter how the roster of the Straw Hat Pirates changes over the years, he always wants Usopp to be the weakest member. Usopp has always been a comical relief and, for most of the time, a coward, although both of that changed. He has gained a significant power boost after the two-year time skip and is now a formidable fighter in his own right.
The rest of this article will tell you all about Usopp’s abilities and give you a general overview of his powers and abilities, as well as their evolution. Some spoilers might be present, but Usopp is quite an intriguing character, and we want to give you as much information as possible; that is why we have warned you in case you’re not fully up-to-date with all the events in the series.
When does Usopp get stronger?
Usopp is the Sharpshooter of the Straw Hat Pirates and one of the weakest and most cowardly members in comparison. Oda wishes to make him the weakest of the crew permanently to keep a balance in the story and because Usopp is the crew member closest to a normal human being. Since the beginning of the series, he is inferior in power and strength to the other characters and needs his weapons for strength. Even if he is a coward before the time skip after the time skip, he has changed, becoming more mature, more reckless, and more sure of himself.
So, there you have it – the crucial moment when Usopp became more powerful and a more formidable character is the time skip. The two-year time skip, during which the Straw Hat Pirates disbanded, was a crucial moment for many One Piece characters. They changed, grew, and became much stronger since everyone did some form of training of their own. So, they were much stronger when Luffy brought the group back together. Now, it is known what the members did and how they actually trained, but the results of that training were quite visible, and in Usopp’s case, we will present the details of this change to you.
Usopp does not have superhuman abilities like Luffy or Sanji. Before the time skip, he used the bluff to hide the fact that he could only lift 5 kg at best, being, with Nami, one of the weakest members without any fighting technique; the duo often improvised with the means at hand during fights. After the time skip, however, he is strong enough to be able to hold Luffy and Robin in freezing water without sinking.
He frequently sustains wounds during conflicts, but his stamina is amazing; he keeps fighting even after suffering severe wounds. He keeps fighting for Luffy even after Mr. 4 smashes his face and Miss Merry Christmas throws him against numerous walls. Even though the Franky Family severely harmed him, he continues to battle for Luffy in Water 7. He survived the CP9 and Marine assaults at Enies Lobby despite still being injured. Usopp’s stamina improved considerably greater after the time skip. In fact, during Punk Hazard, despite being struck by a huge child, nearly being suffocated by Caesar Clown, and enduring an explosive attack of his own, he was able to get up and left with only minor wounds.
Usopp, along with Sanji, has been one of Luffy’s crew’s most tactically adept members, partly due to his lack of courage. Even if they are stronger than him, he may blatantly lie with enough confidence to frighten certain gullible individuals. He frequently employs these skills to have a fighting strategy that works. Usopp confronts Smack and tosses a bottle of wine at him, which he catches, setting him on fire so he can kill him with a hammer later.
He utilizes a dial on the Puffing Tom to generate smoke to startle CP9 and successfully retrieve Robin up until Blueno gets up to them. Usopp deduced from Perona that she needed to utilize a distraction to change her appearance from a fearful runaway to a haughty ghost and deduced the location of her real body. Usopp employs his tactical abilities even more after the time skip to set traps that let Chopper and him defeat Daruma, a swift foe who also uses tunnels.
His marksmanship skills have also improved, as well as his Haki usage, but these things have not been detailed in the story but were shown and explored over time, so we don’t really have anything to pinpoint here. Usopp simply became stronger and better over time as far as these skills are concerned. In that aspect, the time skip was truly crucial for him, as Usopp not only became a more courageous person and a better fighter, but he also became more skilled and more powerful.
Will Usopp become stronger than Sanji?
As we have said, Eiichiro Oda stated that no matter how the roster of the Straw Hat Pirates changes over the years, he always wants Usopp to be the weakest member. This means that in order for Usopp to become stronger than Sanji, the Straw Hats’ cook, something radical would need to change in how Usopp is perceived as a character. In that aspect, Usopp will most likely not become stronger than Sanji, both because Sanji has a better start and because he’s also been growing as a character and because Oda won’t change his basic principle.
